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Coaches of the Meerut-Lucknow Rajya Rani Express which derailed near Rura railway station, in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh on Saturday.[/caption]
Rampur (Uttar Pradesh), April 15 (IANS): At least 14 passengers were injured when eight coaches of an express train derailed over a broken piece of the railway track, police said. A probe has been ordered into the incident - the sixth railway accident in the country so far this year.
Railway and police officials said the Rajya Rani Express train was heading for Lucknow from Meerut when the accident took place, two kilometres from Rampur junction and about 150 meters from the Kosi river bridge at around 8.15 a.m.
Rampur Superintendent of Police Keshav Kumar Chaudhary said 14 passengers were injured. “Two or three of them were hospitalized and the rest were discharged after giving first aid. All the injured are out of danger.”He said one of the coaches had “completely overturned”. A preliminary probe revealed that at least three feet of track was found broken and parts of it were embedded in the ground, he said.
A team of the Uttar Pradesh Anti-terrorism Squad visited the site.
However, the police official ruled out sabotage.
“There seems to be no sabotage. The track may have broken because of some pressure,” Chaudhary said, adding the railways have taken over the probe and they should be in a “better position to explain”.
However, Northern Railway spokesperson Neeraj Sharma said “only two passengers have received injuries”.
The accident affected at least 25 trains on the Meerut-Bareilly section.
Sharma said the railway authorities arranged buses for stranded passengers for their onward journey to their destinations.
Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu in the morning said he was “personally monitoring (the) situation”.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also announced financial assistance of Rs 50,000 each to those seriously injured and Rs 25,000 each to those suffering minor injuries.
This is the sixth accident this year to hit the Indian Railways, the world’s fourth largest rail network that ferries 2.3 crore people across every day.
The government in February 2015 announced ambitious plans to pump in Rs one lakh crore to revamp safety infrastructure of the ageing network till 2020.
Railways arranges buses for passengers stranded at Rampur
New Delhi: The Indian Railways has arranged buses for the passengers of Rajya Rani Express, which met an accident near Rampur on Saturday, for their onward journey.
Northern Railway spokesperson said the facility is being provided to all stranded passengers of the train.
“Water and eatables have also been provided to the stranded passengers,” he said.
The Accident Relief Train and Medical Relief Trains have reached on the spot for relief and first-aid work.
